The present technology relates to a signal processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a signal processing apparatus and method configured to enable higher left/right headphone channel separation.
Hitherto, headphones using a three-contact connector are generally established. The market for such headphones is expanding due to widespread growth and prevalence of portable audio players.
However, in headphones with a three-contact connector, since the ground that feeds back an audio signal is shared with the left and right channels, sound leakage between the left and right headphones may occur. This sound leakage may occur because of the combination of the headphones having a three-contact connector configuration and the amplifying characteristics or resistance included in the cable, etc. If sound leakage occurs during audio playback with headphones, the audio from the left and right channels may become mixed, and audio that differs from the original audio may be played back.
Thus, technologies that prevent such sound leakage have been proposed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007-214726, 2007-235670, and 2008-98737, for example). For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-214726 discloses reducing sound leakage of a right-channel signal into a left-channel headphone by adding to the left-channel signal a right-channel signal that has been decreased according to a ratio of sound leakage into the left-channel headphone.